


The Courage Required for Justice

by Guardsman93



Category: Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types
Genre: Assassination Attempt(s), Discussion of the Force, Espionage, Eventual Interspecies Romance Subplot?, F/M, Gen, Intrigue, On Hiatus, Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:47:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25682257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardsman93/pseuds/Guardsman93
Summary: The New Order reigns across the galaxy. Ruling through ruthless order and competition, its laws are enforced by men and women who deal in fear. The most terrifying of these agents are those of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Investigating possible traitors; carrying out acts of espionage; monitoring the loyalty of citizens, soldiers, and officials; they are everywhere, and they are often the real monsters that go bump in the night. Daros Tavrem is one such monster, and one of the best agents of the ISB’s Enforcement division. One of the Investigation division’s top picks for wet-work and sabotage, his loyalty and abilities are almost without question.After a mission goes awry and his actions almost cost him his career, Daros takes on yet another mission – he is to pose as a bodyguard to supposed Rebel sympathizer Kaeja Nessil and her assistant Orava Van to expose them and their circle of contacts. However, Daros quickly finds himself in a race against rival agents within the Empire as the campaign to crush the Rebellion escalates, and realizes he must decide once and for all what he’s willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of justice...
Relationships: Original Imperial Character(s) (Star Wars)/Original Rebel Alliance Character(s)
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Notes for the Chapter:**

> Courage is of no value unless accompanied by justice; yet if all men became just, there would be no need for courage - Agesilaus the Second, Spartan General

To many of the denizens of the galaxy, Abregado Rae looked like one massive vacation destination. Complete with resorts, glittering canals and beautiful night skies, untouched by the light pollution of other major worlds. But despite being in the galactic core, the planet was as wild as an outer rim world with just as many well known establishments and shady characters. It truly was a smugglers’ paradise. Deals and scams on every corner. Oblivious travelers disappearing in the middle of the night. Criminals of every race and background sitting at the same sabacc tables. Everyone from small time crooks to Black Sun middlemen to associates of the Hutt Cartel passed through the world.

It made Daros Tavrem feel like he was back home, in the lower levels of Coruscant. Save for the fact that he could actually see the stars from this planet. Tonight he was in one of the lesser known cantinas of the city of Le Yer, The Flying Bantha. He had no idea where the owner came up with the name, but between the two bouncers at the door, and half of the clientele, it certainly smelled like a Bantha. Squeezing into the back corner of the bar counter, the bartender placed a drink in front of him and he handed him a few credits in cash, tipping probably double what the drink was worth and signaling to leave him to himself. He slowly brought the glass to his lips and his nose curled at the smell of the local ale. It tasted worse.

Fortunately, the reason why he came to the bar arrived soon after he put the glass back down. The two smugglers he had been tracking for the last week since he arrived on planet walked in. Two human males, one blonde, the other with shoulder length dark hair. Their faces matched the brief he received as well, so that was a start.

 _Finally_ , he thought. He checked his chrono. The game begins.

Over the next hour the bar became more crowded, but he could still see the door and the two smugglers. He kept nursing his now warm drink and started wondering when his targets would arrive. As if on cue, all three rebels entered. One man with burn scarring on his left cheek, a Zabrak male, and a masked woman. While the Zabrak and the man approached the two smugglers, the woman stayed by the door. He watched the four men interact as he sipped from his drink.

 _Perfect, and only one exit makes my life easy_ , he thought. He finished what was left of his drink in one swig and began to make his way out of the bar, catching his cloak on a table. Realizing his weapon was exposed, he quickly pulled the cloak back over it but then heard a patron speak.

“Hey kid, nice blaster, that a custom piece?”

Daros smirked a little as he answered. “Of course. What better way to make a blaster yours than to make it your own?” He heard the man’s compatriots chuckle and saw a couple of them nod respectfully as he turned once again to leave. He brushed past the woman at the door and made his way across the street. Once in cover, he finally shed the bulky cloak he had been wearing, revealing his dull black armor. Daros then retrieved from his belt his headset comlink and his gloves to complete the ensemble. Looking for a place to stay out of sight, he climbed onto the nearest rooftop, got as low as possible and waited for the rebels and the two smugglers to leave.

About ten minutes passed and one of the smugglers left by himself, then came the second smuggler with the scarred rebel and the Zabrak, with their masked female compatriot in tow. It was time to move. Opting to stick to the rooftops as long as possible so that he could stay ahead of the three rebels since the ship was his target, Daros climbed the nearest dwelling. Getting up, he spoke briefly into his comlink.

“The nexu is on the hunt.” Now he was just hoping that the Star Destroyer on the other end of the line was listening.

Following the group, he shadowed them for a few blocks, then they took a right cutting through an empty market, then took a left past a building that masqueraded as some kind of overnight lodging. Based on its clientele and the large number of female staff of a variety of species, Daros assumed that it was some kind of exotic entertainment venue. Daros kept a good distance, but the building, though not large by any means, left him in a pattern of climbing, jumping and crawling that was becoming borderline ridiculous. The hangar he was looking for was finally coming into view. Crossing onto the last rooftop, he dropped down into a prone position to watch the group he had been following. They had cut off to what seemed to be a closed market stall as another half dozen individuals joined them.

“Just great,” Daros whispered sarcastically to himself. He hoped that their conversation would give him enough time to get in and out of the hangar, and place a tracker on the smugglers’ ship in question. He surveyed the wide avenue he had to cross. There was not a lot of cover, but sprinting the distance would be simple. Pulling himself to the edge of the wall and dropping down, he saw the rebels and their smuggler huddle closer, and he sprinted to the nearest door on the hangar. Hugging the doorway, Daros looked down to see a keypad.

Sticking his head back around the corner to check if the group was still occupied, he turned back as the door opened to be greeted with the man who separated from the group earlier.

“Evening,” said Daros, as he followed through with a quick throat punch. The smuggler, stunned, stumbled backwards and Daros slipped into the door, closing it behind him. The smuggler fumbled for his blaster as Daros followed through with a kick to his torso, sending him sprawling onto the floor as the blaster slid away. The man scrambled to get up and retrieve his weapon, as Daros drew his own. Keeping things quiet, he blaster-whipped the smuggler on the back of his head and he slumped to the floor.

Daros quickly frisked the man for anything useful. Swiping his comlink and what looked like a small datapad with door codes, he then dragged the smuggler into a corner of the room they were in to hide him. Looking around, it seemed to be some form of storeroom, as the main entrance was further down the hangar. Satisfied that the threat had been dealt with, Daros returned to the door leading to the hangar and opened it. In it was a small, boxy, Clone Wars era ship with four engines split into pairs on the rear. Sizing up the ship, he slid a crate closer to it, then climbed up onto it and removed a small magnetic mount tracking beacon from his belt.

“Let’s see,” he said to himself as he checked the hangar one more time. Setting the beacon to activate when it reached the planet’s upper atmosphere, he turned on the magnet and placed it near the base of the port engines. “The nexu has caught its prey.”

A female voice spoke back to him, “The game warden can hear the fight.”

 _That’s my cue to leave_ , he thought. Sliding off the side of the freighter, he dropped into a low crouch. Making his way back to the nose of the freighter, he heard the hangar door open and voices arguing. He swore as he ducked into cover behind the ship to get a better view.

“Captain, I get it, patrols are getting tougher to evade all the time,” came the first voice. “But doubling the price on Kolto?” Judging by the question it was probably the leader of the rebels.

“I don’t make my supplier’s rules,” came the response. “Even though the Empire has little interest in Kolto these days doesn’t mean the Imperial Security Bureau is ignoring shipments that go missing.”

The two stopped in the middle of the hangar, with a clear view of everything around them. As they continued to bicker and haggle over the price. It felt like an eternity was going to pass before they settled on a price. After a while Daros tuned out exactly what was being said, focusing more on their location. Then the two conspirators abruptly shook hands and walked back out. Releasing a sigh of relief, Daros sprinted back across the hangar and slipped back out the side door. Following his route back across the street, he made his way up onto a roof with a good view and watched as the rebels, with the smuggler, walked back towards the hangar to presumably board the ship. Daros moved into a crouching position to get a better view.

But they were one person short. The woman from earlier…

That was the moment when Daros felt the muzzle of a blast against the back of his head.

“Blaster and comlink, now. Hands where I can see them.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Order reigns across the galaxy. Ruling through ruthless order and competition, its laws are enforced by men and women who deal in fear. The most terrifying of these agents are those of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Investigating possible traitors; carrying out acts of espionage; monitoring the loyalty of citizens, soldiers, and officials; they are everywhere, and they are often the real monsters that go bump in the night. Daros Tavrem is one such monster, and one of the best agents of the ISB’s Enforcement division. One of the Investigation division’s top picks for wet-work and sabotage, his loyalty and abilities are almost without question.
> 
> After a mission goes awry and his actions almost cost him his career, Daros takes on yet another mission – he is to pose as a bodyguard to supposed Rebel sympathizer Kaeja Nessil and her assistant Orava Van to expose them and their circle of contacts. However, Daros quickly finds himself in a race against rival agents within the Empire as the campaign to crush the Rebellion escalates, and realizes he must decide once and for all what he’s willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of justice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Courage is of no value unless accompanied by justice; yet if all men became just, there would be no need for courage - Agesilaus the Second, Spartan General

“Well,” she said, “Do I sound like the type of woman you want to keep waiting, Imperial?”

Daros removed his headset and reached for his blaster, setting each down in turn. Then placed his hands on his head.

“Good,” she said. “Nice to know that all Imperials are good at following orders.” She pushed her blaster closer to his head. “Commander, I found our uninvited guest, I’ll use the secondary extraction position.”

 _Great,_ Daros thought. It was not going to complicate his situation too much, but it was going to be a bit humiliating to explain that he got caught. The two remained there as a low rumble came from the hangar, and the freighter lifted off and headed up towards the stars. It would not matter. The ship and its cargo would never leave the system. A Star Destroyer would be waiting for them. Daros then felt the woman jab him in the back of the head. 

“Up,” she said. Daros got up slowly as she directed him towards a small set of stairs that took them into the patio area of a small house and she led him back to the street. “Now keep moving.” So they began to walk through Le Yer in the darkness of the early morning. She kept directing him as the minutes dragged on. Escape would be easy. They rounded another street corner, this one even further out of the way. For a smugglers’ paradise, it certainly could double as one for spies. 

“I’m surprised an infiltrator would have been sent on an operation like this,” he said plainly. “Let me guess, former cartel enforcer from the outer rim? Bounty hunter?”

The mystery woman said nothing, and pushed him to move towards the next right coming up. The streets were getting emptier, narrower, and darker all the time. If this was her planned extraction route, she must have been an amateur. The same environment was just going to make it easier for him to escape. No witnesses, and plenty of cover. Now all he needed was an opportunity. So he started with his surroundings. She was smart enough to keep him away from loose objects that could be used as a weapon, so that was not an option. Then there was the blaster still closer to his head than he would have liked. 

She was definitely not the average rebel, of that much he was certain. There were rumors of former imperial soldiers joining their ranks. Supposedly there were a handful of former Antarian Rangers that had slipped through the fingers of the inquisitors and made their way to the Rebellion. If she were a Ranger though, he would have been dead by now. A Ranger would have had enough reason to pull the trigger by now, not attempt to take him prisoner. 

So then who was this masked woman with the blaster to his head? 

He heard a sudden gasp as the blaster’s barrel sharply grazed across the back of his head. Daros reacted swiftly, turning on his heel to knock the woman’s blaster away, he noticed that she had her right hand tightly clasped over her ear. What just happened? 

Answers would have to wait as she quickly came to her senses and Daros found himself narrowly dodging a punch that grazed his right cheek. Blocking her next punch, he followed through with a right hook and got her spun slightly and came up behind her and put her in a choke-hold. She was short enough where Daros did not have to reach too far, but she still was tall enough to have leverage. Daros learned this the hard way as she slammed him into a wall. He instinctively reached for the back of his head and she got free, but he managed to pull her mask out of place. 

Daros brought his hand back and saw a small amount of blood, and looked back in a slight daze as his opponent discarded her mask and helmet, revealing what he considered to be an exotic visage. The woman was humanoid, with jet black hair, bright green skin, vibrant purple irises, and geometric face tattoos that were set up in identical lines just below each eye. He was almost entranced by her, and nearly got hit as she lunged towards him. Swinging the fight back off of the wall, she pulled a knife from her belt attempting to tip the odds in her favor. She came at him with a slashing blow that Daros easily knocked away. She was swinging wildly; she had lost focus. As her next blow came close to him, Daros managed to hit her hand hard enough that the knife fell from her grip

He and the woman exchanged a few hits on one another until her heel connected with his right knee. It was a bit of a blur, but she wound up on top of him, hands around his throat. This woman was stronger than he realized. Daros had to work fast. His hands were busy trying to offset the amount of force this woman was applying to his windpipe. In his peripherals he could make out both of their blasters on the ground, and both of which were just out of reach. Then he saw it. The knife was just off to his right. His instincts from the streets of Coruscant kicked in. In one fluid motion Daros’ hand flew to the knife and shoved it deep into the woman’s torso just below her ribs at an angle. Recoiling in a shriek of pain, the woman rolled off of him while Daros rolled the opposite way and scrambled for the nearest blaster. He rolled back over as the dark-haired woman charged back at him knife high above her head and pulled the trigger twice. Two smoldering burn marks appeared on her chest, and in the same instant, she collapsed.

Daros was breathing heavily as he sat up. He reached back to the back of his head. The bleeding had mostly stopped, so she did not crack his skull open at least. He looked in his hand. He killed her with her own blaster.

“Well, certainly a more ironic death than she probably expected,” he said coolly. He approached her body and searched her for his comlink. It was nowhere to be found. 

“Sithspit, of course she tossed it,” he said with a sigh. Daros checked his chrono. He had less than thirty minutes until he was supposed to be at his extraction position and had no clue how long it would take. He then fished in one of his belt pouches for the comlink he pulled off the smuggler from earlier. Finding the right frequency was easy. The semi-panicked operative was practically giving him away at this point.

“...Agent, respond,” came the tail end of the sentence. He shook his head, but operational security went out the window the moment he was captured. 

“Agent Tavrem to Widowmaker, I will be delayed in meeting the extraction party. I will need to speak to the Captain on my arrival, and have a medic on the shuttle,” he said. “Will be comm silent until I have made it to the extraction point.”

Still crouched over the dead mystery rebel, Daros looked to see her eyes still open, and for some reason, he reached over and closed them. Maybe it was something about the surprised look on her face. Either way, this woman would not be able to answer his questions now. But he would have time to get them himself. 

Getting up, he finally retrieved his blaster and placed it back in his holster, and he disappeared into the darkness of the sleeping city.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Order reigns across the galaxy. Ruling through ruthless order and competition, its laws are enforced by men and women who deal in fear. The most terrifying of these agents are those of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Investigating possible traitors; carrying out acts of espionage; monitoring the loyalty of citizens, soldiers, and officials; they are everywhere, and they are often the real monsters that go bump in the night. Daros Tavrem is one such monster, and one of the best agents of the ISB’s Enforcement division. One of the Investigation division’s top picks for wet-work and sabotage, his loyalty and abilities are almost without question.
> 
> After a mission goes awry and his actions almost cost him his career, Daros takes on yet another mission – he is to pose as a bodyguard to supposed Rebel sympathizer Kaeja Nessil and her assistant Orava Van to expose them and their circle of contacts. However, Daros quickly finds himself in a race against rival agents within the Empire as the campaign to crush the Rebellion escalates, and realizes he must decide once and for all what he’s willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of justice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Courage is of no value unless accompanied by justice; yet if all men became just, there would be no need for courage - Agesilaus the Second, Spartan General

Five Weeks Later  
As the lift rose to the upper levels of the Imperial Security Bureau’s headquarters on Imperial Center, Daros struggled with the collar of his jet black tunic. Maybe it was the lower-level street kid in him that the Empire could not kill, but there were two things he could not stand: the renaming of Coruscant, and the tight collars on the uniforms. The formalities of the Empire were utterly ridiculous in his opinion. But those same formalities – and his act that was seen as a slight against them – had gotten him sidelined. Daros though his career was over. Twenty-nine years old and he was sure he would have been reassigned to the surveillance branch, spending the rest of his career behind a desk, sifting through holovids and comlink transmissions after sitting through an eight week inquiry into his actions.

Surprisingly, his chance to return to the field came with Military Intelligence’s greatest failure to date. A handful of rebels stole prototype star fighters from Fresia just days before the nationalization of the Incom Corporation. _Director Isard must have had an aneurysm over this,_ he thought. Daros smiled slightly. He was glad he was not dealing with him. At least the ISB had managed to apprehend the engineers in question, just not soon enough.

After what felt like ages, the lift slowed to a stop and the door opened swiftly and silently to the hectic level of Headquarters for ISB Investigations. Stepping out into a sea of activity, Daros narrowly avoided tripping over a mouse droid and colliding with a pair of analysts.

“Some things never change it seems,” Daros said as he regained his balance. Walking deeper into the foyer, he could almost feel the tension that drove the burst in activity that came with the rebels recent success.

As Daros approached his handler’s office, he could hear the man arguing with someone else despite the noise in the hall. A woman’s voice responded in kind. While Daros certainly enjoyed provoking with the colonel’s vitriolic temper, he was surprised someone else had done the same. Arriving at the door, he could see that the woman was on a holocall. While he was sure it would probably come back to bite him, he presented himself, noting that as usual, the Colonel’s white tunic stood stark opposition to his own. An ever present reminder of the line between those in charge and the agents who lived in the shadows.

“Colonel Dreylin, sir,” he said, stiffening to attention. “Lieutenant Daros Tavrem, reporting as ordered.”

The man turned away from the holoprojector that dominated the center of his office. His handler may have been starting to go gray around his temples, but he was still able to keep up with anything the galaxy could throw at him. “Excellent, right on schedule, Agent.” He looked back to the woman. “It seems high time you got your house back in order Colonel Grenil, Military Intelligence seems to be a few steps behind the ISB once again.”

Daros saw her face tighten before she spoke. “We’ll see who is behind by the end of this war, Voss.” With that, Colonel Grenil’s blue silhouette faded into nothingness. Colonel Dreylin moved back towards his desk and opened a file on his datapad with a flick of his wrist. “I hope you enjoyed your time off, Agent,” he said.

Daros dropped to an at-ease position and shrugged ever so slightly as he spoke. “More or less, sir. May I ask who that was?”

“Colonel Adria Grenil,” he said as if he was struggling with the after taste of spoiled wine. “In the basest of terms you could say she is my counterpart at Military Intelligence. She carries the arrogance of the entire planet of Kuat in that head of hers. She was probably calling to gloat over how her operation and ours will be intertwined, but we didn’t get that far.”

“Intertwined, sir?” Daros asked while raising an eyebrow.

“Tell me agent,” Colonel Dreylin began, “how much do you know about the Dreadnaught Class Heavy Cruiser?”

Daros took a breath then paused before he answered. “They’ve been in production for over a century, with license built variants scattered across the galaxy. The initial design from Rendili StarDrive featured a crew almost double that of an Imperial-I. They are still popular across the galaxy with planetary defense forces and have been co-opted into the Imperial Navy, despite their age in some cases. They are also popular with rebel cells and to that extent the Rebellion’s fledgling ‘Navy’.”

Colonel Dreylin nodded. “Well said, Agent,” he said. “This, in the eyes of the Rebellion at least, is the next step in its evolution.” He tapped a button on his datapad and a ship appeared on the holoprojector. It certainly featured the front half of dreadnaught, but had a large ventral fin protruding from the bottom, like a bearded chin, the original cargo hold and hangar were removed, along with much of the armor along the mid-section of the starship. Several additional weapon blisters had been added as well. The engines had also received a complete rework, with massive vertical dorsal and ventral fins extending vertically above and below the ship with the ships engines mounted on them.

“That’s some impressive ingenuity,” Daros said as he examined the image closely. “Is there a starfighter compliment?”

“The ship appears to carry twenty fighters on umbilical docking stations along the midsection of the ship,” Colonel Dreylin replied. “One of these frigates, along with a pair of smaller ships, recently attacked a supply convoy in the Outer Rim. The ship that escaped sent the image. What it lacks in armor and speed, it seems to make up for in its variety armament. Our issue, however, is not the ship itself, but where the rebels are getting the money to finance the conversion projects. The Mon Calamari homeworld of Dac may be in their hands, but we have our doubts that they are being produced there.”

“So they are ‘outsourcing’ to smaller, independent companies?” Daros asked.

“Precisely,” the Colonel answered. “That requires a substantial sum of money, and that brought us to this woman.” The blue image shifted from starship to the figure of a well dressed, regal looking woman and what appeared to be her female aide or bodyguard. “This is your target, Kaeja Nessil.”

“What’s her role in all this?” Daros asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ms. Nessil has served as a financial adviser and personal accountant to several senators and high ranking members of the Empire over the last few years. Recently, she has been working on her own pitching ‘investment opportunities’ to industrialize the Outer Rim, and a substantial amount of that money has been directed to several independent shipbuilders.”

“Which we can presume to be the shipbuilders constructing these vessels?”

The Colonel nodded. “However, the money is not being stolen. What tipped us off was a confession elicited by Interrogations. She has been reaching out to several rebel sympathizers catered across the Core to fund this project. We don’t know her motives, but she is certainly an opponent to many Imperial policies.”

Daros straightened and returned his gaze to the Colonel. “Where do I come in, sir?”

“She is currently on Anaxes and will be arriving here to meet a contact of hers within a week. Courtesy of a botched assassination attempt by Imperial Intelligence, she is looking to hire n additional bodyguard,” he replied. “Her contact here on Coruscant has offered to assist her in hiring additional protection, and we will get you on the list of applicants. We can assume that her current assistant is also a rebel agent as well, so it won’t be an easy interview.”

The holoprojector turned off as the Colonel hit another button on his desk. “It goes without saying that this will be a deep cover assignment, Agent. One we can assume will last three or four months before you can gain any form of her trust and involvement in their operation. Your objective is to find proof of her transgressions and the names of all of her ‘investors’ in the rebel cause.”

“Understood, Colonel,” Daros said.

“Good,” he said. “Now before we finish there is something I want to make abundantly clear to you.”

 _Sithspit,_ Daros thought. “Yes, sir?”

“I know that you have previously served in Internal Affairs and I know old habits die hard, but you need to learn to put them down with a blaster if necessary. You are an infiltrator from Enforcement working in partnership with Investigations. You do not have the authority to launch a one man inquisition of an Imperial Navy Captain on his own bridge.”

“Under-”, Daros started to speak.

“Did I finish?” The colonel asked as his glare refocused with new intensity on Daros.

Daros opened his mouth and shut it just as quickly.

“No only this, but punching the same man in the face in front of his own bridge crew to make your point, while insulting him I may add, is behavior that is utterly unbecoming of any officer in the service of the Empire. Captain Felix Adros is a decorated member of the Imperial military with connections deep enough on Imperial center where the ISB was nearly prepared to skip your inquiry and send you straight to a desk at some listening post in the Expansion Regions and leave you there to rot.”  
The man paused for breath before continuing his scathing stream of remarks “Furthermore, he operated well within expectations after you nearly botched this operation in its entirety. You knew full well that the backup plan for the operation would have ended with the destruction of the freighter and the smuggler on board, especially as we already had identified the source of the kolto the rebels had been smuggling.”

The Colonel now moved out from behind the holoprojector as he continued, circling it until he stopped about a meter from Daros. “Investigations fought to keep you here so let me make this known. The Imperial Security Bureau does not make the habit of cleaning the mess of an agent that cannot control their temper and behavior. Your righteousness in your service to the Empire is admirable, but you cannot let your emotions cloud your judgment, and this will be paramount in this operation. Is that understood?”

Daros nodded, “Sir!”

“Good,” the Colonel said. “You will return here for a final briefing in seventy-two hours. You are dismissed agent.”

“Yes, sir,” Daros said before turning on his heel and leaving. Plenty of time to visit the archives in the main archive before the operation.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Order reigns across the galaxy. Ruling through ruthless order and competition, its laws are enforced by men and women who deal in fear. The most terrifying of these agents are those of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Investigating possible traitors; carrying out acts of espionage; monitoring the loyalty of citizens, soldiers, and officials; they are everywhere, and they are often the real monsters that go bump in the night. Daros Tavrem is one such monster, and one of the best agents of the ISB’s Enforcement division. One of the Investigation division’s top picks for wet-work and sabotage, his loyalty and abilities are almost without question.
> 
> After a mission goes awry and his actions almost cost him his career, Daros takes on yet another mission – he is to pose as a bodyguard to supposed Rebel sympathizer Kaeja Nessil and her assistant Orava Van to expose them and their circle of contacts. However, Daros quickly finds himself in a race against rival agents within the Empire as the campaign to crush the Rebellion escalates, and realizes he must decide once and for all what he’s willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of justice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Courage is of no value unless accompanied by justice; yet if all men became just, there would be no need for courage - Agesilaus the Second, Spartan General

Daros was staring at a monitor in a private workstation, not even touching his steaming cup of caf that sat next to him. It was nearly 2300 and his quest to find out the identity of the mystery woman he killed still eluded him. Well, at least what species she was eluded him. Her identity was a matter he would never get a chance to resolve.  


He rubbed the side of his neck where it had gotten sore after learning over the station too long almost 8 hours too long. He was a former Internal Affairs investigator, not a xenobiologist. Beginning to regret not asking for help, he started lamenting aloud to himself.  


While beginning his storm of self-pity, a droid approached him. It was painted jet black and spoke in a generic, raspy voice. “Agent, I am here to inform you that the archivist has gone home for the evening. Is there anything you need?” Daros paused in his moment of wallowing. As ironic as it was, he could ask a protocol droid to query the database for him. Use a machine to talk to a machine.  


Daros turned to face it. “Can you run a database query?”  


“As a protocol droid, my primary function is communications. Complex queries should be submitted to the senior archivist directly,” it said.  


“Is there anyone available who may be of assistance?”  


“There are a handful of junior archivists who may be available,” the droid replied.  


Daros was ready to smack his head against the desk of his workstation. He hated to admit he was out of his depth. He had seen, and killed, dozens of members of species across the galaxy. One would have thought that knowledge would have been useful for something.  


Shaking his head, Daros waved the droid away and mentioned he would leave shortly. He then turned his attention to pulling together his request for research to submit. He had only a few things to go on, but he would be surprised if the archivist turned up nothing. Her height was roughly that of the average human. Her hair was black, possibly dark brown. Her irises were a brilliantly vibrant purple. Then the oddest trait: two lines of geometric shapes under each eye. Reviewing his request a couple more times, he submitted it and left without a word, taking the lift down to the archive’s main floor and stepping outside into the cool night air.  


As a young boy, he had been in awe that the climate systems for the massive planet could work so efficiently and effectively. Now after spending so much time off-world, he found the manufactured weather on a Coruscant a poor comparison to the real thing. It was almost depressing. A night sky blocked by lights and soaring speeders, crowded streets of people who probably had little care for the greater galaxy, the planet that was his home felt more like a prison. Hailing a taxi, he spent the next half-hour flying home thinking about the mission ahead of him. He would be away from Coruscant for months.  


Then he found himself thinking of how much he would relish it. There was a very good chance most of his time would be spent on Naboo, not just the Emperor’s homeworld, but a verdant blue-green marble far away from the never-ending cityscape that he loathed coming back to.  


But before he knew it, he arrived within walking distance of his apartment, and as if he were on autopilot, Daros found himself in a life riding up over sixty stories into his rather barren home. Being gone so often taught him to hold on to very few belongings beyond the essentials. No one wanted to come home to something growing in their kitchen that was once leftovers.  


Daros spent a half-hour in his fresher then rummaged for something edible in the cabinets. All he came up with was an instant noodle dish of some sort. Adding some hot water, he ate while staring out at the darkened cityscape.  


“Another quiet end to a long day,” he mused to himself between bites. With little else to do, he shut his blinds and went to bed.  


Early the next morning Daros went about his usual routine, but as he finished donning his uniform, he had one interruption. His datapad lit up on his desk in his bedroom. Picking it up he quickly skimmed the message. It was the report of his last mission, attached to the file from his disciplinary hearing that was cut short. He shook his head. It looked like it was time for him to start reading.

_5 Weeks Earlier_  


The two troopers on both sides of the door to the bridge of the _Widowmaker_ clacked their boots together as they stiffened to attention when Daros arrived to debrief with the Investigation agent running point for the operation and the ship’s Captain, Felix Adros. The door opened to reveal the two men speaking in front of the massive viewports on the bridge, the only easily discernible sound being the thudding of Daros’ boots as he approached the two men.  
The agent handling the operation, who Daros only knew by his rank and code name, greeted him first.  


“Well done, Agent, the smugglers have been eliminated, and any moment now a team will be removing the source of the kolto shipments.”  


Captain Adros chimed in next. “A pity the _Widowmaker_ could not support that operation as well.” Adros was not that tall of a man by any means. In fact, the Captain was an astoundingly average middle-aged man including physical traits and appearance, down the blue eyes and brown hair. That seemed to be a very common trait among many higher ranked officers. Daros heard the Captain referred to twice as ‘an exemplary Caridan’.  


It made Daros want to vomit. Carida was full of fervent patriots and stubborn fighters. He had met several of them during his stint in Internal Affairs. Each one was blind, egotistical, and narrow-minded; they may have brought in official after official, but they lacked a certain adaptability for the job in his opinion. Officers from Eriadu and Kuat by comparison had a much better aptitude for such work. They could be about as conniving as any con-artist on Coruscant’s lower levels while still maintaining the perfect level of civility and composure as they set up their targets before the fall. Daros counted himself lucky to typically work directly with individuals from the former planet.  


Daros spoke up. “Thank you, Major.” He turned to Captain Adros. “Where are the prisoners? I’d assume Interrogations would be eager to locate the rebel cell they were a part of.”  


Captain Adros put on an almost prideful face. “Ah, I will need to send my apologies to Interrogations, I was forced to destroy their ship.”  


“Sir?” Daros asked.  


“The vessel fired on us after you dropped out of contact,” Andros looked back to the Major. “I had full operational authority at that point to deal with them as I saw fit.”  


“I fully understand the,” Daros paused and searched a moment for the correct word, “protocols we had in place Captain, but I saw the armaments on that vessel, as your own crew should have been able to as well. A handful of light laser cannons would not even scratch the shield of this ship.”  


The major spoke next, “Agent, you dropped from contact, and that means we immediately shift to treating the target as hostile, whether you are alive or not. You did your job well. Need I remind you that your role is not one where you are to be asking questions or concerning yourself with the bigger picture.”  


“Yes, sir,” Daros said.  


“That aside, capturing the rebels involved here was not the primary concern of this operation,” the major continued. “Rest assured, your nearly spotless track record of success will remain as good as it always has.”  


“Yes, sir.” This time he almost bit his tongue saying it. The mission was incomplete. Intelligence was lost, never to be gained, and yet here stood the Captain smiling about it.  


Captain Adros spoke again, seemingly emboldened. “Your desire to fulfill your mission is quite laudable, but the major is indeed correct. Our work was a success, in no small part thanks to the support of the _Widowmaker_.”  


To Daros, the Captain almost sounded patronizing. It disgusted him. There was little doubt in Daros’ mind that Interrogations would still find some rebels to interrogate. But this group could have given them insights into their supply network, something that would be crucial in the days and weeks to come.  


Meanwhile, here was this Captain strutting around like an exotic bird, plumage out, fighting the urge to champion this event as if he were taking on hardened pirates.  


“With all due respect Captain,” Daros began, “I would do your best not to play up your role in this too much.”  


“Excuse me?” The Captain’s head swiveled around like a predator.  


That got to him. “Oh come now, a freighter that could have been disabled with an ion cannon is hardly something to celebrate. Then again, I was very familiar with your work while I served in Internal Affairs.”  


“What?”  


“There is no need to feel flattered, we keep files on everyone, Captain, your use of force is bold, if not overly simplistic.” Daros could not stop himself. Perhaps the one part of working in Internal Affairs that he missed was the ability to simply tear into commanders and officials without worry of repercussions. It was actually a lot of fun.  


“Agent!” The major shouted, but Adrian had one last jab ready for the man.  


“But I would expect no less from a Caridan like yourself. Bold to the point of predictability and arrogance.”  


Captain Adros’ jaw tightened as his face turned the most satisfying shade of red. Daros felt nothing but enjoyment over putting the pompous officer in his place.  
After a moment of silence, the Captain exhaled with a near snort. “Perhaps I am, Agent, but I know your kind. Typical city-dwelling academy graduate, never knowing your place, and never understanding what the bigger picture is. I am still better off than some piece of low-bred street trash like you!”  


In this moment, Daros saw red. That term. It was as if the years of dwelling in the lower levels of Coruscant all flooded back in one simple phrase. Almost instantly, his right hand flew from his side and connected with the Captain’s chin. Daros heard teeth clack together as the man stumbled, nearly falling into one of the command pits alongside the walkway.  


“Agent!” the major shouted. “Report to your shuttle in the hangar. We will address this matter on Imperial Center after the second part of this operation is complete.”  


“Yes, Major,” Daros said. Leaving the bridge, all he could hear was the unintelligible blustering of Adros until the door shut behind him.  


_Present Day_  


Daros added an encoded signature to the bottom of the document, signing off on the episode that nearly ended his career. Colonel Dreylin was right, he had to control his temper better. Especially for the coming operation. A single slip could undo all the work put into this. Deciding to simply grab food at any place that would serve breakfast before returning to ISB Headquarters, Daros returned to preparing himself for the day.  


Deciding he was finally ready to leave, he turned to exit his bedroom only to notice yet another notification on his datapad – the results of his research request.

Finally, at least something I can enjoy reading, Daros thought. He killed members of many species, but he had never seen someone like that woman on his last mission. Her appearance was etched in his memory, but most of all, it was something about those vibrant purple eyes of hers.  


The archivist had sent a massive file attached to a brief message, which contained little of note aside from the standard confirmation that the research work was completed. The file however, was a treasure trove of information about a species called the Mirialans.  


Daros opened the file and scrolled through the section covering their physical appearance; it matched. He then scrolled to history and skimmed quickly. A few facts jumped out to him. The followed a religion based on the Force, lived on a planet that was fairly isolated from the rest of the galaxy and most importantly – they rarely left their world after the conclusion of the Clone Wars. The most notable figure of their race was one of the traitorous Jedi, Luminara Undili. The file on them was fairly thin, though it did cover a fair bit of the species’ history and provided some basics about Mirialan society. Some other vague details were provided about some kind of religion based on the ‘Force’.  


“Fascinating,” he murmured. This race was certainly different, and that woman, unless he killed one that was wearing a mask at some point, was the first of that species that he killed. She had to be. This kill-score of his was a morbid statistic by any means, but it at least made for interesting conversation with other agents, and on the odd occasion, allowed him to pass for a bounty hunter. Closing the file, he put down his datapad. He would have to read more later. He only had two days to finish preparing for a mission that could last months.  


It was time to get to work.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The New Order reigns across the galaxy. Ruling through ruthless order and competition, its laws are enforced by men and women who deal in fear. The most terrifying of these agents are those of the Imperial Security Bureau (ISB). Investigating possible traitors; carrying out acts of espionage; monitoring the loyalty of citizens, soldiers, and officials; they are everywhere, and they are often the real monsters that go bump in the night. Daros Tavrem is one such monster, and one of the best agents of the ISB’s Enforcement division. One of the Investigation division’s top picks for wet-work and sabotage, his loyalty and abilities are almost without question.
> 
> After a mission goes awry and his actions almost cost him his career, Daros takes on yet another mission – he is to pose as a bodyguard to supposed Rebel sympathizer Kaeja Nessil and her assistant Orava Van to expose them and their circle of contacts. However, Daros quickly finds himself in a race against rival agents within the Empire as the campaign to crush the Rebellion escalates, and realizes he must decide once and for all what he’s willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of justice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Courage is of no value unless accompanied by justice; yet if all men became just, there would be no need for courage - Agesilaus the Second, Spartan General

Once again Daros found himself in a turbolift. This time wearing clothes he found much more comfortable. No tight collars, rank bars or anything fancy. His cover was remarkably simple. Daros was to pose as a bounty hunter from Coruscant’s lower levels who had worked his way up the underworld food chain and into a handful of senators’ offices. For his first piece of undercover work in quite some time, he felt this was an ideal cover. After all, the best lies were said to have a kernel of truth to them.

Today’s lie in particular had a kernel of truth to it as well. But only one. The brilliantly fabricated identity he was to pitch fit him quite well. It almost sounded as fun as his real life.

Born in the lower levels, ‘Daros Varne’ was a trouble-making child taken in at an orphanage set up for those who lost their parents during the battle for Coruscant in the waning days of the Clone Wars. He was bouncing for lower level and the occasional under-city bar by the time he was sixteen. Sneaking out of his orphanage on the days he did not have ‘classes’ was something that endeared him to his fellow orphans, and earned him quite a bit of trouble. But the money was too good to pass up. He learned more about the planet and its many denizens by decking overly touchy club patrons than he ever did cooped up indoors. 

After that his ‘resume’ was focused on the Coruscant lower levels and underworld. A stubborn man with a streak of stepping in to defend others and working protection jobs, until he drew the attention of various Imperial officials that then landed him in different confidential circles over the years.

Daros, truthfully, had never worked as a bouncer or bodyguard, but because he did grow up in an orphanage in Lower Coruscant. In fact, the lie was almost more believable than the truth, since someone of his humble background was not a man anyone would assume was Academy material.

Much to the chagrin of those who disapproved of him, however, he surprised them, and himself, when he was accepted into the Imperial Military Academy. While it was not unheard of, he was an average citizen with no form of political connection or clout to aid him in getting in. He added another surprise when he was selected for specialized training to become a member of the Imperial Security Bureau while he was a student there. That came down to nothing more than luck, however, as he landed a couple of instructors who were looking for individuals with more brain and brawn than blind loyalty.

Daros quickly became as opinionated as those training officers were. One of them regularly said, “Loyalty means nothing if you cannot deliver results.” Daros co-opted that as his sort of motto over the years, and it landed him a position in the Internal Affairs at the ISB. He was no fervent patriot in the sense of some of his fellow students, but that was outweighed for his deep affection for law and order. The Empire brought both to the galaxy and actively sought out those who would provide it.

At least that was what he thought when he joined the ISB. He thought that the Internal Affairs division was the perfect fit. A chance to maintain justice and root out corruption from within. But that was not the case at all.

Sure there was the occasional embezzlement issue or dissident. But corruption was everywhere. So many cases just dropped. So long as the Empire won out some of them, the powers at be did not care. He considered moving to Investigations for a brief time as he certainly had the aptitude for the division.

But Daros wanted real action, less bureaucracy, and a black-or-white line of work. So after three years, he transferred to Enforcement. The division was a mix of characters, many of questionable or average backgrounds like himself, and always under scrutiny from Internal Affairs. It made life interesting.

But it was free of so many complicated restraints. All that mattered was his results. Ships had tracking devices attached to them, individuals were killed or kidnapped, key infrastructure was destroyed. Some missions were small teams, others he would operate alone. Daros was in his element.

The turbolift slowed and he straightened as the door opened to a simple lobby and a pacing, sweaty man who he presumed was his contact. Raising an eyebrow, Daros stepped out. He could hear him speaking.  
“...I was almost swept up in her plans,” he said. “Well, this will show that...”

Daros cleared his throat and the man practically jumped out of his skin. “I take it you’re the aide I’m supposed to meet?”

“Oh,” the man said. “You must be the man from...”

Daros gave him a look that dared the man to finish his sentence.

“Of course you are,” he was laughing awkwardly, then composed himself. “Forgive me but the Senator asked me to introduce you on his behalf. Please forgive my anxiety, I rarely get out of the office. Please follow me.”  
Daros enjoyed an unbearably silent walk a few doors down until they approached the office of his target. “Anything I should know about Kaeja Nessil?”

The younger man shook his head. “Nothing you probably don’t already, sir.” He moved to tap the bell near the door, paused, then turned back to face Daros. “Actually her assistant is a bit of an enigma.”  
Daros sighed quietly then blinked in annoyance. “She’s a non-human?”

The aide slowly nodded and Daros gestured for him to ring the two people they were to meet. The door was unlocked remotely and the two men walked into a small seating area. It had two small sofas on either side of a table. The two walls on either side lacked windows, but each possessed a fresco. The one to their left was a landscape of Kuat. To his right was a landscape of what appeared to be a mountain range on Naboo.

“Charming,” Daros murmured, drawing nearer to the fresco to his left. The aide moved on to the door on the far side and was let in. The man gestured for Daros to wait and he nodded in return. He spent the next few minutes engrossed in the two massive art pieces. The detail was exquisite. Daros found the name of the artist on the bottom left corner of each. He did not know the name, but these hardly seemed like something this woman would have purchased on her own based on the profile he was given. Perhaps they were gifts?

Daros heard the door to Kaeja’s office open and turned to see the aide forcing himself to not scurry out. Watching the man leave, he could have sworn his pace quickened significantly as he turned back towards the turbolift.  
_Amateur_ , Daros thought.

“Bureaucrats are an interesting bunch, wouldn’t you agree?” a woman said from the office behind him.

Daros turned and smiled. “They certainly are.”

Returning his greeting, the woman introduced herself. “I’m Kaeja Nessil. Please have a seat, according to the skittish man who just left we have much to discuss.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, thanks for reading my first fic! I grew up reading several of the novels now considered Legends, so I hope I did the Rise of the Rebellion era (and the beginning of the Galactic Civil War) justice. Feel free to leave a comment or kudos.
> 
> Special thanks to my friend wings for editing support, dealing with my myriad of late night creative musings and off the cuff requests, and to author MasochisticHero for the custom opening crawl.
> 
> Unfortunately, due to personal events and starting my Masters Degree this work will be on hiatus as I re-group and finish work on multiple chapters to put out at once. Other, shorter works may come out in the meantime.


End file.
